Sehwag scorches India to another emphatic victory over New Zealand

India's Virendar Sehwag plays a pull shot on his way to a match-winning 125 not out. Photograph: Nigel Marple/Reuters

India won another rain-interrupted one-day international in emphatic fashion against New Zealand to take the five-game series 3-0 with one game remaining.

Set 220 off 36 overs after a Duckworth-Lewis adjustment following four rain delays, India were 201 without loss with 23.3 overs bowled when rain interrupted play for the final time to hand them a 10-wicket win.

Virender Sehwag led the way with a magnificent unbeaten 125 from 74 balls – including six sixes and 14 fours – and in the absence of the injured Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir stepped into the opener's role and added 63 to propel India to a resounding victory.

Sehwag's ton was the fastest by an India player and the seventh fastest in one-day international history as he brought up three figures in only 60 balls. New Zealand's attack simply had no answer to his power-hitting as he smacked the ball to all parts of Hamilton's Seddon Park, which was sold out for the match.

Iain O'Brien, brought back into the side after Tim Southee's disappointing run in the last match, was particularly expensive, going for over 12 runs an over. Even the usually miserly Daniel Vettori (none for 32 off five) did not escape as Gambhir brought up his fifty in the left-arm spinner's fifth over and the very next delivery Sehwag blasted a huge six down the ground to reach his ton.

New Zealand, who had not lost a one-day series at home since going down 2-1 to Australia at the end of 2005, were never in the hunt and must try and regroup ahead of the fifth game in Auckland on Saturday.

Vettori, back in the side after the birth of a son, won the toss and unusually opted to bat first. But as in Christchurch a solid opening partnership between Brendon McCullum (77) and Jesse Ryder (46) was frittered away by another poor effort from the middle order, especially during the batting powerplay where two wickets fell.

India's part-time bowlers Yuvraj Singh (one for 40) and Yusuf Pathan (one for 14) were very effective in keeping the run-rate down, while Ishant Sharma, on the comeback from a shoulder injury, got better as the match progressed to finish with figures of two for 57 off eight overs.

Despite the failings of Ross Taylor (five), Martin Guptil (25) and Jacob Oram (1), the home side reached 270-5 from 47 overs thanks in no small part to the late hitting of Peter McGlashan (56 from 42 balls) and Grant Elliott (35 from 27). But, as Sehwag showed, it was nowhere near enough.

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